RENASCENT ITALY.

Auckland Star, Volume LVII, Issue 9, 12 January 1926, Page 7

RENASCENT ITALY.

GREAT INDUSTRIAL RISE. ARTIFICIAL SILK INDUSTRY. INTENSE FOEWAKD MOVEMENT (By Cable.—Press Association.—Copyrignt.l (Received 10.30 a.m.) LONDON, January 11. The "Yorkshire Post's" special repre'(flaitative, who has been sent to Turin chiefly to investigate artificial wool production, sketches a remarkably intense industrial development in Northern Italy. / Factories are springing up rapidly on the plains of Piedmont and Louibardy. Production is increasing at an astonishing rate, employers and employees alike showing tireless enterprise and industry. The correspondent adds that the most conspicuous example of the hew spirit in Italy is tlie development of the artificial silk "industry carried out in .12 factories by the Societe Nazionale Industria Applieazione Viscosa, better known as S.N.I.A. Viscosa. He points out that ihe industry is employing cheap labour, but the proprietors are providing housing which it is intended will ultimately be sufficient for 40,000 operatives. Housing includes flats at nominal rents for families, while tlie lads and girls are housed and fed free in large picturesquely situated hostels. S.N.I.A. controls hundreds of miles of electrified railways for the carriage of workers and goods throughout the urea. NEW MATERAL " SNIAFIL." The correspondent says that Turin, Milan, and Bologna have the cheapest .hydro-electro power available. Artificial wool, known as snialil, was discovered by Signor Viscosa three months ago. A Yorkshire woollen manufacturer recently in Italy went away convinced that it will revolutionise the Bradford trade. He sent a quantity to be worked up in Yorkshire, for it is equally adaptable to wool or cotton machinery. The correspondent is sending "a quantity of sniafil to Bradford in order that the trade may see the cloths made fron it, or sniafil and wool blended. EFFECT ON WOOL. Signor Gualino (President of Snia Yisccsa, says he is positive the new fibre .will not injure tlie wool-growing industry in Australia or other countries. "We have seen that artificial .silk has not injured the silk trade. Indeed, it has assisted tlie latter's expansion. Similarly, I believe that sniafil will help the development of the natural wool industry. It is true that clothes made with a percentage of sniafil will be cheapened, for sniafil is only half the price of wool. ( Cheaper clothes will increase tlie demand for clothing, Probably what is lost on the .ale of wool material will be made up by men and women demanding a larger supply of clothing. -Sniafil can lie blended with wool; cotton, or silk to the extent of 85 per cent, and give an infinite variety of materials and prices. Yorkshire need not fear sniafil. It is a little less warm than wool, but of higher tonaile strength and better lustre. Its filaA_nl3 are so mixed as to facilitate dyo.njr. A sniafil factory will shortly be .staMish.d in tin: North of England.— (A.,and X.Z. Gable.)